First Thoughts: GOP goes off the image cliff — NBC/WSJ poll: GOP already goes off one cliff — the image cliff... American public: We want compromise... But this also presents dilemma for White House: Does it bend over backwards to achieve compromise, or does it try to make the GOP cry …

‘The a—hole factor’ — Back-bench freshmen Justin Amash, Tim Huelskamp and David Schweikert are gaining martyr status among conservative activists after they were “purged” from House committees for what they say is a matter of sticking to their principles on tough votes.

Where big GOP bucks could matter — Mitt Romney and the GOP lost, but it wasn't for lack of money. They spent a lot; they just didn't get enough bang for the buck. — Billionaire Sheldon Adelson alone donated $150 million. But Romney lost anyway, especially among unmarried women.

A Modest Proposal — The old adage goes, “Don't get mad, get even.” For a select few Americans, that principle could be amended to “Don't get mad at your enemies, buy them.” I have sometimes thought that if I were Charles Koch, instead of trying to influence American politics honestly …

Joe Lieberman's sad send-off — It was a lonely farewell for Joe Lieberman. — When the senior senator from Connecticut stood to give his parting address Wednesday afternoon, just one of his colleagues, Delaware Democrat Tom Carper, was with him on the Senate floor.

U.S. Terrorism Agency to Tap a Vast Database of Citizens — Top U.S. intelligence officials gathered in the White House Situation Room in March to debate a controversial proposal. Counterterrorism officials wanted to create a government dragnet, sweeping up millions of records about U.S. citizens—even people suspected of no crime.

Aetna CEO Sees Obama Health Law Doubling Some Premiums — Health insurance premiums may as much as double for some small businesses and individual buyers in the U.S. when the Affordable Care Act's major provisions start in 2014, Aetna Inc. (AET)'s chief executive officer said.

N. Joseph Woodland, Inventor of the Bar Code, Dies at 91 — N. Joseph Woodland, who six decades ago drew a set of lines in the sand and in the process conceived the modern bar code, died on Sunday at his home in Edgewater, N.J. He was 91. — His daughter Susan Woodland confirmed the death.

The Note: Chris Christie, Born to Run — THE NOTE If there's one takeaway from Barbara Walters' Chris Christie interview last night it was this: the man is setting up to run for president in 2016. — The buzziest example, of course, was his pushback against Walters' question as to whether he was “too heavy” to be president.

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